Chapter 2

I pushed the tablet aside and grabbed the projector remote off my desk.

The company group chat flashed up onto the glass wall of the conference room.

I zoomed in on the hurricane warning posted at three o'clock yesterday afternoon.

I pointed at the screen and let my eyes sweep across the whole office.

"Corporate sent the safety notice yesterday."

"Luther, you're the one who wanted to look cool. You're the one who didn't care about your own safety."

"Aren't grown adults supposed to think about how to solve their problems? Since when do you have to borrow a lighter off someone else?"

I looked around at my coworkers and spaced out every word.

"Fine if nothing happens. But if something does, who takes the fall? Which one of you could carry that?"

The office went dead silent.

A few of the coworkers who'd been whispering and blaming me a minute ago dropped their heads and pretended to study their keyboards.

Luther gripped the edge of that electric hand warmer, his knuckles going white.

"Oliver, I didn't check the group..."

I cut him off without mercy.

"Not checking the group is your problem. It's no reason to come find me first thing in the morning to borrow a lighter."

Graham strode up to my desk and pulled out a form stamped with a red seal.

"Oliver, you think you've outgrown your britches?"

"This is Luther's probation review for next month."

"You're his mentor. Your evaluation counts for forty percent of the score."

"You pull a stunt this cold today, is it that you don't want to mentor him, or that you don't want to stay in this department?"

I looked at the review form, a mocking curl tugging at the corner of my mouth.

I reached back and pulled open the bottom drawer.

Out came a document I'd printed long ago, already marked with my personal seal.

I pinched it by the edge, flicked my wrist, and threw it straight at Graham's chest.

The paper drifted down and settled at his feet.

The words across the top were crystal clear: Confirmation of Termination of Mentor-Mentee Arrangement

Graham froze, staring down at the paper on the floor, taking a long moment to react.

"What's this supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what it says." My voice was flat, not a ripple in it.

"As of now, I'm no longer Luther's mentor."

I picked up the internal line on my desk and dialed HR directly.

I hit speaker. Two rings, then someone picked up.

"Freda, it's Oliver."

"I'm formally handing off the mentoring for Luther."

HR answered fast: "Got it."

The call ended, and Luther completely lost it.

He lunged over and grabbed my sleeve.

"Oliver! Oliver, I was wrong!"

"I'll never borrow anything from you again, okay?"

"Don't drop me. Without a mentor, my probation review next month is going to get killed for sure!"

He looked utterly pitiful.

I looked down at his hand clutching mine, reached over with my other hand, and pried his fingers loose one by one.

"Don't touch me."

Graham slammed a fist against the side of the water cooler.

"Oliver! You don't have a shred of empathy!"

"A selfish person like you doesn't deserve a spot on my team!"

I grabbed my car keys and bag off the desk and forced the computer to shut down.

"Whether I deserve it isn't your call. It's the employment contract's call."

"Today's a hurricane red alert. Per the city emergency management office, nonessential staff can clock out early."

"Goodbye."

I pushed through the glass door of the office without looking back and headed for the elevators.

The cold air in the hallway hit my face, and I felt clearer than I ever had.